Meet Christina Perry, the heart and soul behind Body Love. Faced with her asthma challenges, she transformed adversity into a passionate journey toward health and wellness. Even amid a global pandemic, Christina chose to step away from a steady job to embrace her dream fully. She candidly shares her personal experiences, from harnessing the power of affirmations to finding balance in emotional turbulence. With a switch to a vegetarian lifestyle, she's not only bettered her health but also found a way to manage her endometriosis. Christina's story isn't just about her transformation; it's packed with practical tips and heartfelt advice for anyone looking to lead a healthier life. Dive into a conversation filled with genuine motivation and learn from Christina's inspiring journey.
Episode Notes:
Stay Connected: For the latest updates, follow us on our podcast Instagram
Thank you for tuning in, and see you in the next episode!
Meet Christina Perry, the heart and soul behind Body Love. Faced with her asthma challenges, she transformed adversity into a passionate journey toward health and wellness. Even amid a global pandemic, Christina chose to step away from a steady job to embrace her dream fully. She candidly shares her personal experiences, from harnessing the power of affirmations to finding balance in emotional turbulence. With a switch to a vegetarian lifestyle, she's not only bettered her health but also found a way to manage her endometriosis. Christina's story isn't just about her transformation; it's packed with practical tips and heartfelt advice for anyone looking to lead a healthier life. Dive into a conversation filled with genuine motivation and learn from Christina's inspiring journey.
Episode Notes:
Stay Connected: For the latest updates, follow us on our podcast Instagram
Thank you for tuning in, and see you in the next episode!
In a world where success often steals the limelight, the stories that truly inspire, that truly matter, are left behind in the shadows. I'm your host, Wesley Hamilton. Welcome to the Out of the Shadows podcast.
Speaker 2:Keep going, because what is for you is for you. It's going to be there regardless. You just got to make sure you have a position to get in.
Speaker 1:What's up everybody. This is Wesley Hamilton. This is my show Out of the Shadows Really just want to highlight real stories of individuals that I believe are inspiring me in really doing things that are shifting the world, rather than within their community or social media Any way that you're making an impact. I just want to be able to highlight that. So today I'm bringing to you a good friend of mine, christina Perry. She is definitely the founder of Body Love, which we'll get really in depth to that. Christina is from Kansas City, missouri, so of course, I'm definitely highlighting a lot of hometown people. You know the diamonds in a rough. Christina has an amazing story and has shaped her story in a way that it is now impacting a lot of women's lives, you know, and even though it's impacting women on all different platforms, like I think her really being invested into the communities that she come from has really just been a reason why the story has to come out.
Speaker 1:So thank you, Christina, for being here and joining me.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:I love it no, so I'm just going to dive right in like Body Love, right? What's the story behind it? What's the inspiration for Body Love?
Speaker 2:The inspiration for Body Love. So I did not come from like a healthy environment in any means as far as like physical health, fitness safety whatsoever, so I didn't really have a good understanding of what health meant. I kind of went on the journey of myself trying to figure out what self love is, and it led me to fitness, and so that's where Body Love kind of came from is just truly showing love, learning how to show love to my body.
Speaker 1:Oh, oh, oh. Man, that's good Learning how to show love to my body. You know what ways do you do that.
Speaker 2:Well, it started out with just trying to exercise, trying to do a little bit better every single day. Honestly, I didn't know what I was doing. So I just started out to friends that I knew one of my best friends. She was in the gym and just like, hey, can I come work out with you? You know what the hell I was doing.
Speaker 2:But I was like we're going to try something because so just to give you a little background I had asthma. I've had asthma my entire life and it just really took a toll on my health like all my life. Like just trying to ignore it using inhalers or prednisone, whatever the doctors gave me to try to strengthen my lungs. Exercise was never even given as an option. Like it was never presented to me like hey, maybe you should actually exercise your lungs so that you can use them better. Like you have to work. It's not a muscle, but you do have to work out your muscles so they can be worked fully.
Speaker 2:I wasn't using my lungs properly so anytime I tried to, it was a struggle. So once I started working out, started trying to eat a little bit better, I started seeing little changes. But on top of that I started actually stopping. I didn't have to use an inhaler anymore, I didn't have to carry around a breathing machine. I went like a whole year without pneumonia or bronchitis, like just noticing little stuff like that. And it's like that's crazy that the doctor never said, hey, why don't you just start working out or just walk or just run or just try this? So that's what it looked like initially was just a little bit each day, to where it's now evolved into other people seeing what I'm doing and they're seeking me out for help. So it just kind of bloomed into this community.
Speaker 1:I'm only laughing because, if anyone don't know, christina is definitely a dog mom. So Miss Bella in the back is making her appearance, just so everybody know. So we are definitely dog friendly. So if you hear a little bark here and there, that's just definitely Bella making a statement.
Speaker 1:So the inspiration behind it sounds like it's just driving force and, of course, like for me, having something similar of not having the resources or being really told that exercise and things can actually help, and then finding out that once I started doing it, it actually changed things for me and made me better. Life just started to seem different. So, like now, I see, like, of course, like for you, I remember the year that you decided to actually get into making body love a thing and just shifting your whole everything. You left your job. I like that. So it's just kind of like talking about that. You know, if I'm not mistaken, I was around the pandemic, you know. So, yeah, like, what made you like really say, ok, I want to love my body more, but now I really want to help other people and I can't do it actually work in this nine to five. I have to applaud myself and really invest in this. Like, well, what definitely was like that shift and what's driving you to do it now.
Speaker 2:The initial shift was like this job that, honestly, was it, but I think it was. The pandemic is really what like kickstarted everything, which is crazy because that is probably the worst time to ever started. And I, just for the record, I did it without a PPP, for the record, self-funded. But I think that time off from work, because everything shut down, you know, everything shut down. So there was nothing to do but what I love doing, which was working out, eating healthy, and I mean we did that every single day during the pandemic.
Speaker 2:Like we was literally working out probably four hours every day because there was nothing else to do so, with finding that love for it and seeing how free and how good I felt there was, like it was no option but to do that, like it was like I cannot go back to doing what I was doing before. You know it's almost like you don't miss a good thing until it's gone. In this case, it was like I didn't know that I was missing this good thing until it was presented to me and it was like, okay, now that I've gotten that taste of it, I'm never going back, like it was a no-brainer.
Speaker 1:That's the thing you get a taste of, something that is freeing. You know, yeah, there's a lot of work behind it, but it tastes good to go after something and like really make that initial investment into it. Why not serve everybody while I'm with them?
Speaker 2:Well, there's many, many reasons why the reason why I service women particularly well. First and foremost, I'm a woman and I'm a black woman. I feel like the knowledge, or the lack of knowledge, around health and fitness in the black female community, particularly in Kansas City I can't speak for other cities it's non-existent. Like there are personal trainers out here, there's gyms, there's all this, but there's never any emphasis or importance on why we need to do this. There's never any emphasis on the community of actually having a community of people that support you in doing it, or even the health reasons behind it. It's always been just kind of looking me and so I was looking at other people, but I didn't see anybody that I could relate to.
Speaker 2:And then I know that within the fitness and health community they started out that way. They played sports, they ran track, they did basketball. They've always been into that community and it kind of is discouraging and very intimidating for someone that does not come from that background, because it's almost like you feel like it's impossible, especially starting at a later point in life. So I didn't start it until I was in my 30s is when I started. I went 30 years without really doing shit. So once you get there, it's like I feel like I'm too old or the damage is already done, and so I'm trying to show people like no, it's never too late. Like you may not be able to achieve your dream body if you're not disciplined enough, but you can be healthier, you can look a little bit better, you can feel better. That's really the point of what I do. It's not for you to be a bodybuilder, it's for you to be able to sustain and live a good life.
Speaker 1:You know, a lot of people might not understand the difference in that of like. You know, the fast fitness lifestyle compared to the long term, the longevity like. Love your body for what it is but be consistent with making you have a better quality of life. I mean, in a lot of ways, I think that's why we connect, is because you know there was lack of representation and fitness for people with disabilities, and I think that was like my driving force of being that and getting into that and finding how good it was. It's like man, I'm not even really too much worried about walking and that's my flaw, right, at least it's a flaw for people that don't understand the things that I can do. And so it's kind of like, yeah, like being able to embrace everything, everything within you, looking in the mirror and being proud that you're working on yourself. You know, don't have this vision of this. Like you can, you can work to a goal, but it's like that fast. Let me get this in like the summertime.
Speaker 1:You know, I think that's the biggest thing, like the summertime body. I think that's the wrong way to really speak about things. You know when it comes to fitness, because now and everybody's rushing, but you know when you think about that and you're you know you're talking about loving your body and you know you have this force to impact women and the reason why. But you're also a mother right. What has this journey in the last few years have actually helped you? Even when it comes to parents and like, what are your goals to like be able to show your child you know what you're doing, like what's the impact you're trying to create, just as a parent and doing what you want.
Speaker 2:Well, that's funny that you say that, because my daughter is anti-health. I think kids just don't want to do what they see their parents doing. They want to be different and live their own life, which I respect it, but I do encourage her to do better.
Speaker 2:So, like we don't eat out all the time, we try to make healthier choices at home. I mean, I still let her indulge here in the area of McDonald's stuff that she wants to have. She's a kid, I'm not going to deprive her of that, but I do try to teach her everything is okay in moderation. Like you still have to eat your veggies, you still need to be somewhat active, you still need to do stuff, and I try to do it from the standpoint of health, because my daughter is very skinny, or I won't say skinny, but she's in shape, she's not overweight or anything like that. So she also looks at what society sees as healthy and she's like I'm fine, I don't need to do that, I'm not fat and I'm just like okay. Well, it's not about that. Do you know the rate of? You know childhood diabetes? Like there's so many different elements that you can cause to have that you could prevent from just to make better choices. And I was like, yeah, it may not be a factor right now, but a lot of us didn't think it was going to be a factor when we were kids. And then, once you hit 30 and you are on all these medications, it's a buildup over time of the bad habits that you've had that you didn't know any better. I'm like so I'm trying to show you different. So I do encourage kids. Like, when I hold my classes, I always have kids free. Anybody 18 and under can come for free and they love it. My daughter's probably the only one that does it. I do try to incorporate that into my parenting skills, to give like flashback.
Speaker 2:So what was the final straw for me to get into shape? Well, besides, the last time I got in the manga is. I remember specifically my daughter was probably like five or six and we went to worlds of fun, slash oceans of fun. I'm telling you I was fighting for my life the next day after being at worlds fun, oceans of fun, whole day. Like I feel like somebody beat my ass from just swimming, from walking, like my feet hurt so bad. I was so out of breath, so winded, and at this time I was like 27. There is no reason why I should be feeling like that at 27. And I was like okay, you have to make a change, because how are you going to keep up with your child? And you can't, because you are just literally out of shape, like you're unhealthy For sure. You can see that. So that was like the reality check for me was like I shouldn't be feeling like this from walking.
Speaker 1:Well, we're going to take that house off real quick. You know, like, all the good business and all of that, like the show is caught out of the shadows for a reason. Right like before, before these last few years of you like really embracing your new right like and being more visual in the world and I saying that you haven't right like, you've always been engaged in social media but you're making this impact. People see you now and what I found, at least from my platform. It always makes me feel uncomfortable when my whole truth doesn't come out right like the things that I will want people to know so much about me that my story is relatable to them because impact comes from that relation. Right like I, you said like there was no representation, so I had to create it.
Speaker 1:What is something that you will always want people to know about you? Like this is going to be my truth that I hold because I own that, but you can't take that away from me. So a good example, like for me, is the story before I got shot in paralyzed. It's like who I was before my injury. Like my life became good after my injury, but for 24 years I was this different person but that made me into who I am now, because I look back and say I can be better than him. I don't regret him because that's all I knew, but I can be better than him and so nobody can ever take that away, because I was never perfect and I'm still not right. So, like that's the, that's the out of the shadows, like what was the imperfections that you still want people to understand? That?
Speaker 2:that's what you grew from. So many I say what I want people to understand about me and I preach it all the time is that I'm regular, like people for some reason think that when you make it to a certain level or you're seen as more of a valuable person, that you're special or that you did something different. And I can assure you I did shit different. I went to the cell. I'm from Kansas City, I'm from the like the inner city, not the suburbs. People knew, like when people see me, they knew me, they know, they know like who my child's father is.
Speaker 2:I was single mother, young, I did graduate, never finished college, Like I probably did every single thing wrong and I really do feel like that made me who I am and it also it allows me to get people more grace and they get frustrated when they get upset.
Speaker 2:It's like okay, well, there's nothing you can tell me that I haven't already done or experienced or been through and still kept going. So it's just like come on, like go ahead and cry it out and we'd have to get back to it. And I will say that that's something that I definitely want people to understand about me is that I don't have been through it all, like deaths, drug life, street life, gang life, poverty, who live in the roaches. Like I don't have been through it all and when you can go through, everything is still come out on top. Like I really do feel like well, I'm not even gonna say on top because I don't feel like I'm on top, but I do feel like I'm above water. So if you can stay above water, regardless of the situation, you're going to be okay. I feel like a lot of people saw that.
Speaker 1:You're a regular person, right, like I always tell people like what is normal when everybody's trying to reach something that's not, and that part of your story becomes more relatable. There's people that's caught up in a lifestyle because that's all they know and the good thing is is that when they see your life and what you're doing, them to know that you came from the background, you know, walk the same communities, you did the same things and made the same choices. Like life is about choices and growing up. I think we're learning, right, like I always tell people now and I'm like I'm 35.
Speaker 1:And when I think about it you know, you see all these different older people. Some people aren't making moves until they're 60, 70. But when you come from a black community, you think everything has to come quick. Right, because death comes so quick in our community so we got to do everything fast. There's no longevity or no steps to things. So, like, when you see people live in these certain lifestyles, they're living these fast lifestyles To be able to see 35 and to know that I can have another 35 years. I can't sit there and focus so much on the mistakes that I've made. I just have to grow from them. But I have to share that story because if not, then I'm sitting in a room surrounded by people that look at these age groups and see them differently, because they basically hid their own story of that used to be them right.
Speaker 1:And so it's like owning your story, owning your truth, is being able to not judge people anymore. You know, like when you stop judging people, it's because, like you just said, it's like I get it. Like I want you to be better, I want you to do better, but today ain't the right day, right, like I get it, I get it. But the fact that I've overcame it, I know that you can overcome it. So we're going to understand this process. It's one of those things that I always tell people now is, like experience base when you can lead things through experience, people embrace it more. Right Like, can people feel it more Because you're like man. It's like somebody telling a group of students to read a book but never pick up a book a day in their life or never, like have a routine where they're reading on a continuous basis. So saying, hey, you need to read, but you can't tell me anything about the any you know books that are out there isn't really bringing me value. But if you're a everyday reader and you speak with knowledge, where I'm like well, where you get that information from, right Like, that's a different type of experience. That's a different type of way that you can lead, because now people know that you're doing it. So, no, like, that's the story. Right Like, you rose above triumph. You went through these different things. You're still a single mother. You're a business owner. Now You're someone that serves freely and empowers women through purpose. Right Like, and I think that story of what you went through is the reason why you empower more people because, yeah, you understand struggle and so if you can overcome that, then yeah, you're a powerful individual yourself, which I already know that, but at least everybody else get to know that now.
Speaker 1:So this is a part where I feel like, at least if you're coming from, I know a lot of people experience certain things in life, but I definitely understand that the black community experiences more, and it's death amongst grief, right Like, and so really just kind of not really going in depth to like your experience with death, but because I think that we don't talk about grief enough and I've learned that, at least in my last year and a half, that the things that I was grieving over it was hard because there's not enough transparency in our community for people to even ask you, are you okay?
Speaker 1:It's kind of like somebody died a day and we grieve for a week to the funeral and then after that it's gone. But you're having those days and those moments and so kind of just want to ask you like how do you? Because I know you've experienced things that has been very tragic. So how would you share, like, how do you handle it? And then how do you continue handling it? And what would be your advice to women, right Like, to women on how to be able to handle it without bottling it in where it takes over you, because grief can take over you, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure Me handling it. I have some really good friends. They help a lot. What I will say is just let it out. I know it's not all my friends call me the cry baby, which I was not always like this, just so you know, wesley but I found like holding an N hurts even more than just letting it out. Some days you may just need to just let it out and that's okay. And I think that a lot of times people look at that as a weakness and they're like, oh, I need to be tougher than that, like it'll be okay. They want me to be strong and yeah, that person would want you to be strong.
Speaker 2:But at the same time you have to acknowledge your feelings, whatever they are at the moment. Don't sit in them. So don't just sit there and literally spend a whole week crying. But if you need to take an hour, or even if you need to even take a whole day, okay, but still have a strategy or a support group or some type of system that can help you get back on track. So even though you may be sad today or right now, like you have to have something to make you smile every day. So, whatever that is you got to hold on to that and make sure it's a party of daily life.
Speaker 2:So for me music helps, which that can be a double edged sword, because sometimes music brings back memories and sometimes it brings back good or bad memories, you never know. But music helps. Cooking helps because of the distraction, cleaning helps me. My seven grace, I'm always gonna say, is working out. I know that's different for everybody, but that's what has always helped me get through stuff, and sometimes I get too sad to where I can't even work out. So if I can't do it, then I just feel like, okay, well, I might have to sit in the gym parking lot and cry, and then I'll be like, okay, let me go get something to eat and just gonna cry again. You really, just, like I said, keeping your head above water, you have to just keep swimming, like Nemo. I mean it sounds crazy, but you have to swim, fight through the waves, fight through the current, just keep going.
Speaker 1:I like that Swim like Nemo. It's really good. Keep on swimming, just keep swimming.
Speaker 2:And I'm not gonna say it's easy. It's definitely not easy. And don't let anybody belittle your experience, whatever it was, even if it doesn't seem like that was a big deal to them. Your experience, your emotions, they are valid. You gotta acknowledge them and get people who respect them in your life. If they don't respect them, then you probably might wanna avoid those people or kinda cut them out, because you do need support around you during those times, Even if it's just somebody that's just gonna sit there in silence with you.
Speaker 1:I like that. I like that. Sit there in silence, oh my God.
Speaker 2:People always wanna say something to try to make it better and it's like sometimes you don't need that. Sometimes you just need somebody to literally just be there.
Speaker 1:So, speaking of that, right, like I like that. You said that and what I'm learning I'm learning is creating space and being more verbal about that too. You know, like I was telling, I've been doing like some yoga on Wednesdays and doing some breathing stuff and some, so I got a little instructor and stuff and we've been working on some things. And I was talking about people like, at least for me, because of my line of work, people will throw their grief and trauma on me at times and sometimes it's a lot for me when I'm going through something already and they asked me, have I ever just told the individual or whoever that at this current moment, I don't have space for it? Or, at this current moment, like I am willing to create space. However, you need me, right, and I never thought about it from that way, but it's like setting that, it being more intentional about your time, about your space, about your current healing Cause, like you could wake up and be dealing with some grief and somebody else like man, listen, da, da, da, da.
Speaker 1:Like this is what I'm going through and yes, it's a tragic story, but Did you ask me, am I okay today or I like, and I think we all have it bad sometimes because we want to call somebody and let them just pour on us, like you know. But just wanted to share that, not saying that you haven't done that, but just wanted to share that as something that I'll just learn, being able to be more vocal and tell people like, okay, I need you to create, I need to create space for what you're about to share with me. This isn't the moment for it, you know, and so then it allows one. Could we talk about it on some of our calls outside? Of this is like boundaries, and it's like how are we setting better boundaries for ourselves that actually make those around us not feel like they're excluded, but we are also allowing them to know that we, like I own this space right now, but it can't. Nothing else can come in it, right?
Speaker 1:Like so just wanted to share that and you know, going off of that right, Like creating those boundaries and space, and just being intentional affirmations, Like do you have like any affirmations or quotes that you live by, that you go by, that you would want to share.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I have a daily affirmation. I say it three times in a row, every day, to 20 pm, and it's I am rich, I am loved, I am financially abundant.
Speaker 1:I'm rich, I am loved, I am financially abundant.
Speaker 2:And my tip for that, because I know a lot of people say that they have issues with doing daily affirmations. I set an alarm on my phone, so it's literally a reminder every day to 20 that tells me that, and then I have to say it. So it's just easier for me to do it that way, because you never know how your day is gonna go. So, to have that reminder and it's like, okay, that brings me back to life every day.
Speaker 2:Having it in the afternoon definitely helps. First thing in the morning is good, but when you halfway through your day, typically that's when the bullshit starts. So it's like, okay, that's my reminder. You all? Right, come on, let's get back focused.
Speaker 1:All right, noted. Noted. Noted Cause I don't think I do a midday reminder. I think I set the tone so much in the mornings that I don't do a midday affirmation to maybe reset and renew. I like that though. So hit a reminder. There's no reason for us to make excuses. Right, we got timers and reminders on the phones. We can literally allow ourselves to create the routine and schedule that we won't, even if it's speaking affirmations to yourself every day and being consistent with it. I like that. I like that.
Speaker 2:Thank you, I know that was fun.
Speaker 1:You know, I know I referenced reading earlier. Do you do any reading? Is there any books that you like, anything shaped around material that you would wanna share, and it could be something for women, it could be something for everybody. Just, I'm big on reading and I wanna create like a book list through the individuals that I talk to, so that people can know that these are, you know it's referenced and, again, like that's that experience.
Speaker 2:Yes, right now I'm not currently reading anything. I would say that I do most of my reading through audio and, like most of my song and like my self-development phase in my life, I feel like still just trying to get better at everything. So I listened to a lot of self-help, a lot of entrepreneurship, a lot of mental health Anything as far as the wellness spectrum is what helps me get through. I do have to be in the right mind frame to even accept the information though. So, like typically, it seems like Tuesday is the best day for me, for whatever reason, but I think that's important to know and acknowledge. You know what days you know you received information the best, and for some reason it is Tuesday. I don't know. Thursday seems to be my go to shit day, but Tuesday I'll be on my game, which it may be, because that's kind of like my Monday, because I take Sundays and Mondays off. So that may be the reason why the most recent book that I read I had not read a book since, like January, the most recent book I read was it was Rick Ross's book. I can't think of the name of it. I think he only has one book which I loved it. It was not, it was an audio book.
Speaker 2:I did do the audio. It wasn't in his voice, which I would have loved, but it was still very insightful because it was his point of view through the pandemic and how he kind of structured his business and his like the state throughout the business and throughout the pandemic and the lessons that he learned, the losses that he took, how he came back from it and how he learned to pivot and make things better. And I guess it was relatable for me because during the pandemic I kind of was going through the same thing. Well, I mean on a much smaller scale, I don't have any state, but just kind of finding purpose of how I can make money at home, like a lot of people don't know. But I started turning at my house, like I turned my upstairs room into a fitness studio still have it and it's like he turned his what was it?
Speaker 2:His swimming pool, like the new coming to America too, that was shot at his estate. So like he did that and now he has movie contracts for people that want to use his estate and it's like everybody he said bash him like why would you buy this big old thing? We're about to go through a pandemic you might want to sell, but now he has a garden on the land, now he has a big garage where he's able to store his cars for the car shows that he does and it's just like trying to find, I guess, the silver lining in the space that you have, like you may think it's wasted space or you wasted money, but you got to find a purpose in everything. So I think that's what really related me to the book. And also he caught COVID too, so he talked about the experience too of being down for some time and just feeling like you know, is this it? And that kind of sparked his health journey, from him starting to get into the weight loss and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:So this is really good for me. Those are my favorite type of books or something that is relatable. And also maybe it was better received because he is from, you know, the inner city and his city, so maybe it was easier for me to relate to from that perspective because he kind of talked about that as well. So I would recommend that book and then Tabitha Brown. I think it's called Be the Soul. That's one of the best books I read last year.
Speaker 2:I read a lot of books last year but hers. You would think that it's going to be just about a vegan life, but it is so, so much more and it's hard to talk about it without giving it away because it really is that good. So I recommend anybody man, woman, anybody to read that book. Her basically is keep swimming is the best thing that will get you through, and that book is basically her message.
Speaker 2:It's like what it looked like, how long it takes. Keep going, because what is for you is for you. It's going to be there regardless. You just got to make sure you in position to get it.
Speaker 1:I like that. Okay, what is for you is for you. Rick Ross book is something that I definitely feel like I relate to. I love that book, you know, as we kind of stare closer to the end, all right, and this is completely just off, you know everything. Just because I'm just curious, like I'm a person that believes in like manifestation and really speaking things into existence, and so just wondering, you know, is that, is that something that you practice in a sense, and do you have, like, have you seen success in being able to speak things and see that appearing to your life?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I like to self proclaim myself a master manifest With manifestation. Like it took me a long time to figure out, I guess, necessarily, how to unlock it, but it truly is like believing without a doubt that this is facts. Like when you write something down, you have to just leave it alone, Like okay, like almost. Like when you put a cake in the oven, you know for a fact it's going to bake as long as the oven is working. So that's the way that I look at manifestation I just put it in the oven, wait till the timer go off, and we're there every single time. Now what I will say is that I need to work on doing that on a bigger scale. Sometimes I mean it's natural we have self doubt and think like no, that'll never happen for me. But then I start to see it happen for other people, and then that's when I have to kind of check myself and look at my environment and make sure that it's a healthy one, because once those self doubts come in, it's typically because I'm in the wrong environment.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I definitely believe in manifestation and I've seen it happen for me. I wrote down the whole body love business plan in 2019 when I was still working my job, before I even knew what body love was, didn't even have a name for it I mean down to the T and it completely manifested in less than a year.
Speaker 1:I mean, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to say that.
Speaker 2:I'm a body love. I will say I believe in it.
Speaker 1:That's what's up. So, um, I know we touch basis on like the inspiration and things behind your business and you know I kind of got a backstory of you. But you know what, what services and things do you actually provide, just so people can know what services do you provide?
Speaker 2:Well, I have a website. The services I provide right now I'm completely virtual, which I absolutely love, so please don't ask for in person, but I offer virtual training sessions Monday through well, tuesday through Friday, for Saturday, tuesday through Saturday and then Monday. We also have a virtual mental health mindset session every Monday with my ladies is just kind of an overall women's wellness coaching program at this point. So we touch physical, mental, emotional health, nutrition. We pretty much touch everything which I do have a challenge starting tomorrow. If anybody wants to learn up, it is the better challenge. I'm feeling better, becoming the best version of yourself, and I do challenges just about every month. You want to sign up? You can either go through my link, which is on IG, body love, underscore KC, or you can go directly to my site, bodylovekccom. All right, yeah.
Speaker 1:I heard it Bodylovekccom. Bodylove underscore KC, so don't ask me where it is. We're going to make sure that we put it in, like all the nuts and stuff, and of course, you know Bella right, like I always got to make sure that Bella is existing in the conversation.
Speaker 2:So let it go.
Speaker 1:Let's just speak on feeding yourself, because you spoke about tap at the brown, like and we talked about like the books and things. But like, how do you you you'd nourish your body with like foods and like, why do you choose that Particularly, you choose that particular direction.
Speaker 2:Well, since you say that, vegetarian five years, in July I chose that particular path, which let's be clear I grew up a meat eater, eating pork. I didn't do chili, but pork chops, ribs, anything you could think of churches. Chicken was my fave, so definitely was a meat eater.
Speaker 1:I'm just gonna put that there. Churches is a hood favorite. We all love churches.
Speaker 2:And I used to tear the dirty very damn. So the reason why I started that particularly never, ever thought I would, but the way that I felt once I gave up meat well, what inspired me to try to cut back on me is it's crazy just random little posts on Instagram one day Meatless Mondays I was like, oh, I can do that, let me try that. And it was basically to try to incorporate more vegetables in my diet, so I started with me less Mondays, and I started noticing more and more how I was kind of like stop eating meat. Like it came down to where it was only like two times a week, maybe one time a week, maybe I might go two weeks without eating it, and I started to also notice how much better I felt, like I felt lighter, I have more energy. And what took the cake for me, though, to commit to this lifestyle is my menstrual cycle, like I have always had, which you probably don't want to hear about this, but I always had the worst periods of my life.
Speaker 2:From the very first one I mean the very first one I thought I was dying, which turns out is endometriosis, is what it is, which is a pretty common condition. Again, I hear that it's stronger and black women. I don't know, I haven't done the research, but it's basically where you have like heavy flow, unbearable cramps, extreme fatigue, like literally people should be able to get off work for it, because it truly does feel like you're dying. It really does. I noticed that when I stopped consuming so much meat, the intensity of that like drop probably by no lie 85%. Wow, and that was enough for me right there to be like yep, I'm never doing that again because if you know something is in this case it does not kill you. It's not a disease that's going to kill you, it's nothing like that, it's just a condition. But if you know something feels like death and you go, you know, without feeling that, why in the hell would you ever go back to like that's just would be crazy. So, yeah, that was the final touch for me.
Speaker 2:I've just recently started incorporating like meat substitutes here and there at your, for which that can be hit or miss. But I don't know, I just feel so much better being a vegetarian. It is really like I have to go out of my way to eat bad and unhealthy and I do have to go out of my way to find better options when I'm out, so it motivates me to cook at home more. It motivates me to make better choices and, just overall, eat healthier and cleaner. So I love it. My daughter is not a vegetarian, just in case I was wondering. She's not, but since I'm a vegetarian, she does eat vegetarian meals a lot more. She eats a lot more vegetables than she ever did before and she's actually starting to like my food now.
Speaker 1:Okay, see, that's you got to be the example you know be the change we wish to see in the world, right? Thank you for really taking your time and chatting with me. I love, I love that you have, you know, a place that you could be able to be transparent and share your story and just let people know not only what you're doing, but the the patch and behind it and the reason why you're doing it, and I hope people really listen and gravitate to it and, you know, be able to reach out and know that they have a brand that really speaks to them and wants to see them have a better quality of life overall. So, like, yeah, final words, final thoughts. You know, what would you want to leave to the people?
Speaker 2:I want to leave to the people is don't ever think that you can do anything like literally anything in this world. You want to do, you can do it. You just have to believe that you can do it. Even something as simple as tying your shoes, like you can do it. I never thought I'd be a vegetarian. I never thought I would eat healthy. I never thought I would like fitness or exercise, and that's literally my life. Anything that you think you can do, I promise you you can do it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, you know what that's. That's how it in this and again. It's just been amazing to get your story out there. I've known it, but more people need to hear it and I'm just grateful for that. So do this. You've been listening to out of the shadows, where we illuminate the often overlooked. Join me next week for more untold stories of triumph and remember every victory counts until the end. Stay out of the shadows.